What are your thoughts!? I had some fun with this one, but I genuinely hope this is helpful for you, or at least maybe you had a laugh with the big reveal toward the end. Also, the real slow zoom thing is a vibe and I like it. Go watch my friend Blase: ua-cam.com/video/A4Lh4emLu8M/v-deo.html.
Dear John, Bought xt4 after watching your reviews and now am waiting for Sigma 18-35 f1.8 and fringer ef to fx pro 2 to arrive. Your genuine educational videos towards this community is beyond measure. You’re the best! Love from India 🇮🇳 Isaac Thayil
Coming from a beginner I tried Sony and thought it was a great system, then I found Fuji. There's something to say about a camera system that wants you to pick it up all the time and have fun. I have an XT4 and XH2S and I'm in love with them. Like you said AF isn't perfect but on the XH2S I rarely find it to miss, it does on occasion but like you said you learn what AF to use for different situations and tweak it a little and it's awesome. Maybe this is dumb to say but the Fuji system helps with my creativity and I don't know why that is tbh but it does. Lastly, I feel that cameras have to inspire you to go out and do shit and whatever system that is for you then love it and learn that system, Fuji has gotten my spouse into photography as well. The whole Fuji world out there is so rad and inspiring to get out create and capture moments. Love your video!
First, I agree with Jose, what a setup for a beginner!! That's rad. But man, my story was the same except canon, then Sony and fuji then made me fall in love with video again. It's always always difficult to explain in reviews but they're just fun cameras to use!
@@johnstamw lmao I got the xt4 for my girl so as default I get to use it 🤣. I’m a k9 handler for the fire department we do live find and human remain detection and decided to start creating content and starting all the social media for the k9 team and went with the xh2s after trying a few other systems. It’s been fun for run and gun videos and taking pictures of the dogs working and training, having the 40fps and all the video formats has been amazing!
@@Searchingk9 wow, what an interesting application! it's always amazing to hear how different folks use their cameras but this is one of the most unique out there!
Great video! Love your work. Been using Fujifilm for 10 years. Tried a Sony A7iii and it made me switch systems. Images are sharper, the bokeh in portraits is beautiful cause it's full frame, and the autofocus is godly. Literally never miss a shot and I can focus on composition instead of focusing. You said you use AF-S? With Sony you can leave it in AF-C and it will get the eye, every time. And I love the colors coming out of the camera. I shoot RAW and can adjust them to how I want, including making them look like Fuji colors. I spent an hour color matching photos between the two cameras and saved a preset so it's one click if I want a "Fuji color" look. Did I mention the battery life? It lasts 2-3 times longer than my X-T4. You should try an A7iii/iv sometime!
Thank you so much! Sony AF is truly unbelievable. I'm happy for you to have found the dream camera!! I personally hated my 2 years of ownership with my A7iii and haven't enjoyed my user experience borrowing the A7siii. Also didn't enjoy user experience with the Canon C70 in my use either haha! Fuji just works right for me!
I like this format bro! On point and relaxed and straight forward. I agree on those points. I’m very happy with my xt4 and I’ve learned to work around those weak points. Keep up the good work!
You hit on all the right points. I left Fuji close to 3 years ago and moved to Sony. Initially, for FF, but TBH, I don’t regret it one bit that it was absolutely the right choice. I don’t want to settle for “most of the time”, Sony works every time and is accurate. The colors might not have been there in the years prior, but they are definitely there now. That being said, I work on colors etc in post.
ahhh!! I literally forget about FF vs APSC because I'm so used to APSC now, I can't believe I left that out haha! I'm so glad you found Sony to your liking!
Would be kinda cool if Fuji did this in the future but for me and what I use it for: portrait, wedding photo, film making, action photography it does it all.
Hey, wonderful explanation. I just have one question. Answer me straightforward. I am very new to photography and videography, but I have a keen interest in it. I like Fujifilm cameras because obviously, because of their recipes also will save me a lot of time in editing. I will be joining uni in Germany and will be traveling too, so I want a Fujifilm camera that I can take anywhere and also should be in my budget used (500 euros). Also, mention the single lens with it that will be enough for a beginner like me later on i can upgrade the lens. I would really appreciate your help. Please reply.
Hello there!! I'm sorry for my delay. That's exciting about uni in Germany, congrats! I think any Fuji camera that you can find used for 500 euro would be a start. Maybe an XT3 if you can find it. Or XT30. Buy a Sirui Sniper 33mm lens (or 23)
With a ordinal gen cineeye velcoed under the gimbal and plugged into a Fujifilm camera you get do many features that up the game all for $250. İ get a wireless signal to up to 4 tablets or phones. My camera guy has an ipad, i have an ipad, the onlookers have their devices. You get false color coming out of the cineeye to the tablets. İ can film in flog and toggle on and off rec 709 on the tablet, i can fool with aspect ratios. The cineeye gives me on and off focus peaking. The cineeye takes the camera to another level with very little latency. So much fun and very client friendly as they can have their own wireless device.
I KNEW IT!!! that mic was a prop, I facking knew it. Nice vid. I'm joining your team for why Fuji works for me. (already have older models, just trying to figure out: xt5 or xh2 or xh2s)
Summed it up nicely. Good in all areas, and excellent image quality. On the XT series a compact size and great feel to the camera are also features highly regarded.
Hello John, I have a big advise to ask for. Thanks so much for always making amazing content for us. I’m a video and photo shooter doing weddings, music videos and portrait sessions, using my xt3 for the last 3 years, now I’m finally planning to upgrade to either xt4 or Xh2s, My main priority features are 4k60p, IBIS, Dual card recording auto focus (auto focus atleast better than my current xt3) and Flog assist. Do you really think Xh2s has better IBIS and auto focus and dynamic range when shooting 4k 60 classic chrome or Flog in H265 longop codec than the xt4 and overall Xh2s really gives that much value for another extra 1000$? Also I’m worried about the three things that I would regret not having if I buy the xt4 which are the 6.2k open gate, the Flog 2 dynamic range and the ProRes 4:2:2 internal recording. Do you really think it’s worth paying another $1000 and buy the Xh2s ? I plan to use the setup for atleast 1 year or a little more and move to better auto focus system I’m getting xt4 in the used market for about $1300 US and Xh2s for about $2200-2300 in Japan Thanks so much
Unfortunately I can’t say which one for sure. I think it does have better ibis but AF depends on lenses and situations, etc. flog2 and DR is definitely better but idk how often that’s “necessary” - my vote is probably always use the affordable camera until you NEED the more expensive one.
I don't own an xh2s. But Cine D was blown out of the water when they ran dynamic range and latitude tests. They were inching toward equating it to a Venice 2. I believe their test recognized 14 stops of DR and neatly 9 stops of latitude. For $2500 this seems amazing. I would say this is certainly better than some Netflix approved cameras so if you have a story to tell but you're on a tight budget I think this camera can do the job and the other factors you mentioned can be worked around. If you are talking creating cinema level material then image, like you said, is first and things like best autofocus and ibis are not real issues. Great reviews. Thanks 😊
couldn't agree more Rich, image and DR is unbelievable truly at this price point. the "consumer" features though tend to be the popular talking points and where I receive many DMs haha.
Facts!!! I agree Canon and Sony do a lot of things better than Fujifilm. I love fujifilm because they make me want to use their cameras. Love the feeling/look of my XT3 and XT4. They work for me for wedding photography. My wife recently gifted me a GFX50S and I have been having so much fun with that.
Yup, they totally do and it's perfectly reasonable to prefer them, but I couldn't agree more I just _want_ to use fuji cameras, they're different for that. And wow!! Dope wife move with that gift.
Totally respect on this one… So many people think that ‘cinema’ camera is about only image… (Bet you didn’t buy that at walmart😂) Cinema camera features do help make your creative films more easy to create and many features require a crew… Be assured a hollywod filmmaker would not have a problem with the Fuji’s image… When you do this stuff every day you want to make it as easy as possible and you pay for those features that assure that…
You just hit the nail on the head concerning the 3rd point. There is a LOT that makes cinema cameras different from “mirrorless video oriented cameras” and much of it has little to do with image.
XT-4 is too cute to give up on it haha but I would love to get an FX-30 or a blackmagic in the future, I don't think I would ever be Fuji-less tho, simply for the capturing pictures experiences, nothing beats Fuji, ok maybe Leica but that is out of my league haha
Great video, really liked your warm take. I love Fujis and am soon buying the XH-2S, I have three X-T3s and a few Fuji lenses at present but also the Fringer EX Pro II and pile of EF glass. That said, yes, they are not cinema cameras but so what, I have cinema cameras, two of them. I still enjoy shooting cinema style with my X-T3 all rigged out more than my big, heavy cinema cameras. Anamorphic, not really a fan of, but its desqueeze should be a monitoring function, false colors are lame to me, give me a calibrated waveform on my monitor. So a lot of these issues are instantly solved even with cheap monitors these days. Who wants to shoot with a 3" screen on camera anyway? To me, a 5" or 7" monitor is essential, I can't judge focus on a 3" screen. The only real drawback of my X-T3 as a cine camera is awful battery life (I use V-Mounts with a dummy battery) and 30 minute clip limit (not usually a problem on long interviews, start and stop when we are formulating the next question). IMHO, IBIS is a prosumer feature for casual videographers, and who uses AF for cinema shooting, we use manual follow focus with cine lenses. The images from the X-Trans 4 sensor look absolutely gorgeous if you know how to light and sound is recorded with either a Tentacle Sync Track E or real mics into my SD Mix Pre while the X-T3 cine rig has a handy Tentacle Sync E into the audio input. XH-2S is looking good largely because of no clip limit, internal ProRes and 6K Open Gate as my next project lining up will need a lot of vertical and square extraction for social media and open gate is so handy for that. 10-bit 4:2:2 instead of 10-bit 4:2:0 is nice as is Flog 2 it looks like. My hot take on your warm take, I'm more cranky and opinionated than you are ;-) Keep making great videos John.
I agree with everything you said Dan and appreciate your cranky hot take haha!! You'll say it way more directly than I do in the video, maybe this is the hot cranky version of my warm take -- "stop buying a camera that doesn't claim to be what you're expecting it to be and then moaning about it" -- anyway, I appreciate you stopping in to leave this fun to read comment Dan.
Thank you John ! I really love my Fujifilm xt-4 camera. you are absolutely right; no other system has such a magical, special picture. Fujifilm X-H2s surprised me even more. I think autofocus is much more :)) These are wonderful cameras with their own soul :) And I think that the main thing is to love what you do and love your tool you use.
I'm confused about the SIRUI 35mm Saturn 1.6x, wouldn't it be closer to a 50mm on a Fuji X sensor? Could you test this please? All the other sensors are Full-Frame. Thanks so much, love your videos btw
Once I bought an x-t2 and now I can't part with Fuji. I would really like to sell everything I have and buy a Red/Nikon, Lumix, Leica, but I definitely can't sell fuji, their lenses, colors, feelings. And I definitely don't need so many cameras. I would like something else, but what fuji has is enough for me. Maybe GFX? It's for love.
What is a cinema camera tho? FX30 is declared as one, but I would argue the X-H2s is a better video camera (as it should be, since it is more expensive as well). As for the cinema features that are missing - most of them are integrated in any half- decent external monitor, and to be honest, for that type of work an external monitor is a MUST. As for the AF, coming from Sony A7IV, I'd say a single point AF is the best option for ANY brand when it comes to paid work, especially weddings. As great as the SONY AF is, and it is great, I'd never let it decide what to focus on in once in a lifetime situations. Now I get that a title like this is catchy, and clickable, but it also helps the spread of misinformation, since sadly.. most of the people hear what they want to hear, while the rest of what you said gets ignored. No camera is perfect, it's all about compromises, and choosing what is right for you, just like you said, but.. all of those reasons that state fuji isn't for you, can be said about any mirrorless camera, of any brand.
Hey Michael! I hope you’re well today. I just finished typing my reply and realize tone is hard to convey so just know I don’t intend to be harsh. Here are a few quick thoughts in response, and thanks for contributing! Regardless of how muddy the lines have become with manufacturers labeling “cinema camera” I believe consumers still acknowledge meaningful differences between “video-oriented cameras” and genuine “cinema cameras” although I acknowledge that these words don’t have rigid definitions. Example: clearly the FX30 is a glorified mirrorless camera when compared to the FX6 counterpart, see also the R5C & C70. And I personally haven’t seen any “half decent monitors” with full size XLR inputs with independent audio controls or that add internal ND filters to a camera body, which are both common features I would expect in a cinema camera. Now, for the back half of your comment about AF and “misinformation” - I agree with you about the AF however, that doesn’t mean everyone agrees and apparently based on my interactions LOTS of people use AF exactly the way you said that you never would, lots of people seriously. If you were daily receiving messages and comments about these topics you would understand the purpose of this video goes far beyond “clickable, catchy, etc.”. And “spread of misinformation” is just a silly expression to use in a discussion about cameras and all 3 of my common reasons (which again come from countless comments+dms) that folks shouldn’t buy Fuji are objective truth.
@@johnstamw was talking about anamorphic de- squeeze, monitoring tools, luts etc. my bad for not being clear enough! As far as XLR, there is a hot shoe attachment if I am not mistaken. I wasn’t trying to undermine you with the misinformation bit, I was mostly trying to state, that most people watching will only remember the title, and not the bit, that you explained how personal a camera choice is. Thanks for the reply, and I hope I didn’t leave you with the wrong impression, since I do love what you do, and you are a part of the reason I recently got an X-H2s.
Fuji is on nothing leading except incamera tweakable jpg engine. Perfect for quick personal stuff. I use their 2012 models. 1st generation X Trans sensor. So beautiful.
@@johnstamw Well, you'd find a lot of people coming from the analog side (like me) making that claim. It's probably the next best output behind a role of Portra or Ektar if you pair it with a 70s lense.
Who is Fuji for? Well me for starters and lots of other people. I do stills not video. And the system is for pros. The official stills photographer for the movie Oppenheimer used a Fuji X-H2 and has loads and loads of other credits shot on fuji gear. She did the stills for Dunkirk using an X-Pro2. Plus loads of other movie projects. She isn't alone in the movie industry or elsewhere. As for auto focus, on holiday in May in the Lake District (UK) my wife did a bunch of zip wires at a local forestry. I waited for her at the end of the last one. I had face / eye tracking on. Used an X-T5 with the Tamron 17-70 f2.8. She was probably doing 40 mph (?) and spinning. The tracking locked on and I got a 85% hit rate using high speed bursts even though her face was turned away for the camera a lot. I just sold my Sony A7R IV plus lenses. At my age going up mountains and big hills necessitates weight reduction. The Sony is a brilliant camera, I couldn't love using. Got me great images inc. tracking two faces in a live music act in Covent Garden (London, UK). I'd actually say that unless one needs those video features the starting point for selecting as system needs to be the range of glass. Then the nature of output and cropping if any required for printing. After that the world is your oyster.
almost perfect... it has never disapointed me... autofocus works ower 90 % of the time, auto white balance almost perfect... ibis: good to be ``not perfect``...it looks more natural for film... was olympus owner before ...which has best ibis still ...it looks AI all day... which is not good for creative stuff... me have Fujifilm X-S10 and chose it because of this channel (your channel)...
It is relevant. I have had the Fujis for a couple years now. Even though I love them and want to keep them forever, I have learned that it's not ideal for pro work. The construction of the XT3 is too fragile, the autofocus is a problem, no ND, mirrorless prevents me from using wider angles outside of fuji lenses, batteries are bad...The only saving grace is the image quality.
Not sure if this was meant to be a comment reply about the “it is relevant” part or if that was about my video, regardless I agree there are a variety of professional environments where Fuji cams are not adequate to the task currently. For many of us pros, they are more than sufficient but that certainly isn’t everyone’s story!
Sensible video! I can understand most of the reasons to not buy the camera. Just as with Blase’s video, I find it quite saddening though that the industry favors big looking camera’s over real world quality differences. It would feel a bit ‘wrong’ to me to support that false idea by purchasing a bigger camera for the sake of it. For example, I have edited both X-H2S and FS7 footage and my smaller Fuji way outperforms the bigger Sony videocamera in terms of colors and clarity. I had a hard time dealing with the skintones and the greens, and the Fuji just looks more attractive and special. However, I understand I might be lucky to be a solo-shooter who doesn’t have clients dictating which camera I should use (comparable to you, I think). So I might be the ultimate user for the Fuji. Cheers, keep up the good work!
Yup, and there are even high end clients that will book you for you and your set up if they really like your work enough - ESPECIALLY, when it saves them money and they can put the leftovers into marketing. Know plenty of folks shooting commercial and TV work with the XH2s, but it will always have its limitations. The imagery and capability of the camera usually isn’t an issue in the cinematography world; it’s the WORKFLOW. Fuji lacks the Cine-Utility that Cine Cameras have. In my opinion, that’s it, along with a few essential Cine-features like waveforms, shutter angle, etc.
you know, sensible is a great word for it, thank you! I agree, it is frustrating that broadly speaking folks think "big camera, better work". I agree it almost feels wrong to participate in that, yet for many folks that's how they're going to put food on the table. I have multiple anecdotes from my friends alone who decided to buy into cinema lines and sure enough each time, opportunities seem to arise out of nowhere. We solo-shooters are definitely blessed to control our own context so yes, Fuji (likely) forever for me!
This felt like a bit of a "If you're trying to screw in a screw, don't buy a hammer" video. People aren't buying a $2000 Fujifilm camera expecting it to be a cinema camera. If a camera inspires you to get out and shoot, the fact that the autofocus isn't the gold standard of the industry is far less important. If you're looking for a tool for paid work to get the job done, buy a Canon or Sony.
You know Daniel, I don’t know you, but actually that’s some excellent wisdom and you certainly would hope that’s it’s unnecessary right? Until you’ve seen a hundred people use a hammer on screws and complain that the hammer doesn’t work right, then they reach out to you for advice about how to use this hammer with screws. I’m sure you could imagine that gets a bit tiresome telling folks one at a time that hammers are not made for screws… hence this video:) although you may know that hammers don’t go with screws some folks don’t know that for a whole variety of reasons, alas here we find ourselves. I hope you find that inspiration to get out and make something beautiful today!
Agreed with most of your points including autofocus. Fuji has great single point autofocus, but continuous zone autofocus is not on par with Sony or Canon. While I agree that Panny and Canon have better IBIS than Fuji, I'd rank Fuji significantly better than Sony.
That's interesting about the IBIS, many of my sony friends and my small experience have been great, but I don't have extensive use so that's cool to hear!
@@johnstamw I just googled it and the latest generation of Sony cameras have drastically improved in IBIS, so I'm not sure my observation is true. Just a couple of years ago, though, Sony cameras had great AF, but IBIS was a joke that might get you 2-3 extra stops at most. Glad to see they are much, much more competitive now!
definitely more of a hobbyist camera with a sprinkle of professionalism. I understood everything Blaise was saying.Even tho its a great camera its not the industry standard unfortunately in the "film world"...what's not fair is that the person using the Ursa 12k may not even be a good cinematographer as the Fujifilm user.Which is very unfair and because of that you get overlooked...I would say keep pushing and use what you would like to use as a filmmaker.No camera is perfect!..Just like a relationship these days,you have to accept a flaw and deal with it. Hope this helps a fellow Fujian
I hadn't thought of saying it that way, but kinda true! Sadly, yes the expectations of "bigger camera, betterer video" aren't fair, but alas we live in a corrupted world. I'll keep rocking fuji for the forseeable!
noooooooooo say it ain't soooooooooo! this comment truly made me chuckle, so thank you, but fr this fujifilm hipster just gets a lot of messages asking these questions.
The reason you use Fuji is the exact reason I switched and prefer it over my Canon for everything. The colors are unmatched, the ability to build recipes around film sims also keeps the process fresh and exciting, and in my case (X-T5) the whole user experience is so much more tactile and feels less artificial and digital as the other cameras I've used. Not to mention it stomps every other competitor at that price range when it comes to features. *also, the constant zoom in and out in this video was subtle but so cool👀
Couldn't agree more with you James. Are you using the XT5 primariliy for video? I would love to hear your experience with that if so. I had fun with that zoom thing haha glad you liked it too
@@johnstamw I got the X-T5 to use as a hybrid for personal projects, so a bit of both tbh. Been taking a lot more photos the past month because I've really busy with work and haven't had the time to really dive into any video projects... But before that I was loving it for video! I must agree with the general take that the X-T range is a little slower when it comes to dialing in settings, but that to me is what makes the whole process stand out and the shots I get feel so much more rewarding in the end. Fujifilm, and especially the X-T range, truly is the film equivalent of the digital world😅
What are your thoughts!? I had some fun with this one, but I genuinely hope this is helpful for you, or at least maybe you had a laugh with the big reveal toward the end. Also, the real slow zoom thing is a vibe and I like it.
Go watch my friend Blase: ua-cam.com/video/A4Lh4emLu8M/v-deo.html.
Dear John, Bought xt4 after watching your reviews and now am waiting for Sigma 18-35 f1.8 and fringer ef to fx pro 2 to arrive. Your genuine educational videos towards this community is beyond measure. You’re the best! Love from India 🇮🇳
Isaac Thayil
wow that's so cool to hear, thank you for the encouragement!
Coming from a beginner I tried Sony and thought it was a great system, then I found Fuji. There's something to say about a camera system that wants you to pick it up all the time and have fun. I have an XT4 and XH2S and I'm in love with them. Like you said AF isn't perfect but on the XH2S I rarely find it to miss, it does on occasion but like you said you learn what AF to use for different situations and tweak it a little and it's awesome. Maybe this is dumb to say but the Fuji system helps with my creativity and I don't know why that is tbh but it does.
Lastly, I feel that cameras have to inspire you to go out and do shit and whatever system that is for you then love it and learn that system, Fuji has gotten my spouse into photography as well. The whole Fuji world out there is so rad and inspiring to get out create and capture moments. Love your video!
That’s a helluva set up for a beginner.
First, I agree with Jose, what a setup for a beginner!! That's rad. But man, my story was the same except canon, then Sony and fuji then made me fall in love with video again. It's always always difficult to explain in reviews but they're just fun cameras to use!
@@johnstamw lmao I got the xt4 for my girl so as default I get to use it 🤣. I’m a k9 handler for the fire department we do live find and human remain detection and decided to start creating content and starting all the social media for the k9 team and went with the xh2s after trying a few other systems. It’s been fun for run and gun videos and taking pictures of the dogs working and training, having the 40fps and all the video formats has been amazing!
@@Searchingk9 wow, what an interesting application! it's always amazing to hear how different folks use their cameras but this is one of the most unique out there!
Great video! Love your work.
Been using Fujifilm for 10 years. Tried a Sony A7iii and it made me switch systems.
Images are sharper, the bokeh in portraits is beautiful cause it's full frame, and the autofocus is godly. Literally never miss a shot and I can focus on composition instead of focusing. You said you use AF-S? With Sony you can leave it in AF-C and it will get the eye, every time. And I love the colors coming out of the camera. I shoot RAW and can adjust them to how I want, including making them look like Fuji colors. I spent an hour color matching photos between the two cameras and saved a preset so it's one click if I want a "Fuji color" look. Did I mention the battery life? It lasts 2-3 times longer than my X-T4. You should try an A7iii/iv sometime!
Thank you so much! Sony AF is truly unbelievable. I'm happy for you to have found the dream camera!! I personally hated my 2 years of ownership with my A7iii and haven't enjoyed my user experience borrowing the A7siii. Also didn't enjoy user experience with the Canon C70 in my use either haha! Fuji just works right for me!
@@johnstamw I hear ya! Find what you love and use it to create beautiful art like you do. 🔥
I like this format bro! On point and relaxed and straight forward. I agree on those points. I’m very happy with my xt4 and I’ve learned to work around those weak points. Keep up the good work!
that's good to hear! I'm undecided about it, but it was fun for me so I might try it again!
@@johnstamw I bought the whole kit just now… 3 lenses… think I need to add a wide angle lens as well. Early drunk bird buy
@@CPSWEDEN hahaha for a wide you might wait and see what you need after playing with those lenses!
You hit on all the right points. I left Fuji close to 3 years ago and moved to Sony. Initially, for FF, but TBH, I don’t regret it one bit that it was absolutely the right choice. I don’t want to settle for “most of the time”, Sony works every time and is accurate. The colors might not have been there in the years prior, but they are definitely there now. That being said, I work on colors etc in post.
ahhh!! I literally forget about FF vs APSC because I'm so used to APSC now, I can't believe I left that out haha! I'm so glad you found Sony to your liking!
If AF is your first priority then you need to start focusing on them skills
hey, you said it not me haha
@@johnstamw That's true too, my manual focusing is so much better since I use Fuji...
Would be kinda cool if Fuji did this in the future but for me and what I use it for: portrait, wedding photo, film making, action photography it does it all.
you mean kinda cool as in, make a cinema camera? if so, ya that would be rad
Hey, wonderful explanation. I just have one question. Answer me straightforward. I am very new to photography and videography, but I have a keen interest in it. I like Fujifilm cameras because obviously, because of their recipes also will save me a lot of time in editing. I will be joining uni in Germany and will be traveling too, so I want a Fujifilm camera that I can take anywhere and also should be in my budget used (500 euros). Also, mention the single lens with it that will be enough for a beginner like me later on i can upgrade the lens. I would really appreciate your help. Please reply.
Hello there!! I'm sorry for my delay. That's exciting about uni in Germany, congrats! I think any Fuji camera that you can find used for 500 euro would be a start. Maybe an XT3 if you can find it. Or XT30. Buy a Sirui Sniper 33mm lens (or 23)
With a ordinal gen cineeye velcoed under the gimbal and plugged into a Fujifilm camera you get do many features that up the game all for $250. İ get a wireless signal to up to 4 tablets or phones. My camera guy has an ipad, i have an ipad, the onlookers have their devices. You get false color coming out of the cineeye to the tablets. İ can film in flog and toggle on and off rec 709 on the tablet, i can fool with aspect ratios. The cineeye gives me on and off focus peaking. The cineeye takes the camera to another level with very little latency. So much fun and very client friendly as they can have their own wireless device.
wow that's a rad setup, i don't think ive heard about this, i'll look into that!
I KNEW IT!!!
that mic was a prop, I facking knew it.
Nice vid. I'm joining your team for why Fuji works for me. (already have older models, just trying to figure out: xt5 or xh2 or xh2s)
hahahaha you saw past my games
Summed it up nicely. Good in all areas, and excellent image quality. On the XT series a compact size and great feel to the camera are also features highly regarded.
Yes those are certainly great features!
Hello John, I have a big advise to ask for. Thanks so much for always making amazing content for us.
I’m a video and photo shooter doing weddings, music videos and portrait sessions, using my xt3 for the last 3 years, now I’m finally planning to upgrade to either xt4 or Xh2s, My main priority features are 4k60p, IBIS, Dual card recording auto focus (auto focus atleast better than my current xt3) and Flog assist.
Do you really think Xh2s has better IBIS and auto focus and dynamic range when shooting 4k 60 classic chrome or Flog in H265 longop codec than the xt4 and overall Xh2s really gives that much value for another extra 1000$?
Also I’m worried about the three things that I would regret not having if I buy the xt4 which are the 6.2k open gate, the Flog 2 dynamic range and the ProRes 4:2:2 internal recording.
Do you really think it’s worth paying another $1000 and buy the Xh2s ?
I plan to use the setup for atleast 1 year or a little more and move to better auto focus system
I’m getting xt4 in the used market for about $1300 US and Xh2s for about $2200-2300 in Japan
Thanks so much
Unfortunately I can’t say which one for sure. I think it does have better ibis but AF depends on lenses and situations, etc. flog2 and DR is definitely better but idk how often that’s “necessary” - my vote is probably always use the affordable camera until you NEED the more expensive one.
I don't own an xh2s. But Cine D was blown out of the water when they ran dynamic range and latitude tests. They were inching toward equating it to a Venice 2. I believe their test recognized 14 stops of DR and neatly 9 stops of latitude. For $2500 this seems amazing. I would say this is certainly better than some Netflix approved cameras so if you have a story to tell but you're on a tight budget I think this camera can do the job and the other factors you mentioned can be worked around. If you are talking creating cinema level material then image, like you said, is first and things like best autofocus and ibis are not real issues. Great reviews. Thanks 😊
couldn't agree more Rich, image and DR is unbelievable truly at this price point. the "consumer" features though tend to be the popular talking points and where I receive many DMs haha.
Facts!!! I agree Canon and Sony do a lot of things better than Fujifilm. I love fujifilm because they make me want to use their cameras. Love the feeling/look of my XT3 and XT4. They work for me for wedding photography. My wife recently gifted me a GFX50S and I have been having so much fun with that.
Yup, they totally do and it's perfectly reasonable to prefer them, but I couldn't agree more I just _want_ to use fuji cameras, they're different for that. And wow!! Dope wife move with that gift.
Totally respect on this one…
So many people think that ‘cinema’ camera is about only image…
(Bet you didn’t buy that at walmart😂)
Cinema camera features do help make your creative films more easy to create and many features require a crew… Be assured a hollywod filmmaker would not have a problem with the Fuji’s image…
When you do this stuff every day you want to make it as easy as possible and you pay for those features that assure that…
You just hit the nail on the head concerning the 3rd point. There is a LOT that makes cinema cameras different from “mirrorless video oriented cameras” and much of it has little to do with image.
color science out of camera is what draws me. and i like pineapple dole soft serve with pineapple juice so it reminds me of the fuji juice.
yeahhhhh that fujijuice!!
XT-4 is too cute to give up on it haha but I would love to get an FX-30 or a blackmagic in the future, I don't think I would ever be Fuji-less tho, simply for the capturing pictures experiences, nothing beats Fuji, ok maybe Leica but that is out of my league haha
honestly, fuji cams are just gorgeous! I'll also never be fuji-less again and yaaa leica is a different tax-bracket than me too hahaha
Nice John, always lovely hearing your thoughts
thank you Preet!!
Great video, really liked your warm take. I love Fujis and am soon buying the XH-2S, I have three X-T3s and a few Fuji lenses at present but also the Fringer EX Pro II and pile of EF glass. That said, yes, they are not cinema cameras but so what, I have cinema cameras, two of them. I still enjoy shooting cinema style with my X-T3 all rigged out more than my big, heavy cinema cameras. Anamorphic, not really a fan of, but its desqueeze should be a monitoring function, false colors are lame to me, give me a calibrated waveform on my monitor. So a lot of these issues are instantly solved even with cheap monitors these days. Who wants to shoot with a 3" screen on camera anyway? To me, a 5" or 7" monitor is essential, I can't judge focus on a 3" screen.
The only real drawback of my X-T3 as a cine camera is awful battery life (I use V-Mounts with a dummy battery) and 30 minute clip limit (not usually a problem on long interviews, start and stop when we are formulating the next question). IMHO, IBIS is a prosumer feature for casual videographers, and who uses AF for cinema shooting, we use manual follow focus with cine lenses. The images from the X-Trans 4 sensor look absolutely gorgeous if you know how to light and sound is recorded with either a Tentacle Sync Track E or real mics into my SD Mix Pre while the X-T3 cine rig has a handy Tentacle Sync E into the audio input.
XH-2S is looking good largely because of no clip limit, internal ProRes and 6K Open Gate as my next project lining up will need a lot of vertical and square extraction for social media and open gate is so handy for that. 10-bit 4:2:2 instead of 10-bit 4:2:0 is nice as is Flog 2 it looks like. My hot take on your warm take, I'm more cranky and opinionated than you are ;-) Keep making great videos John.
I agree with everything you said Dan and appreciate your cranky hot take haha!! You'll say it way more directly than I do in the video, maybe this is the hot cranky version of my warm take -- "stop buying a camera that doesn't claim to be what you're expecting it to be and then moaning about it" -- anyway, I appreciate you stopping in to leave this fun to read comment Dan.
Thank you John ! I really love my Fujifilm xt-4 camera. you are absolutely right; no other system has such a magical, special picture. Fujifilm X-H2s surprised me even more. I think autofocus is much more :)) These are wonderful cameras with their own soul :) And I think that the main thing is to love what you do and love your tool you use.
I'm so glad to hear that!! yes they are wonderful tools and help me to love the craft even more, that's for sure!
You mentioned the sharpening being handled easily in post. How do you typically go about that?
well, maybe this should be a video that I go record right now huh...
@@johnstamw Whatever you feel led to do my man. I would for sure be interested. Thank you for the work you put in for us! It is truly appreciated.
That disconnected mic is brilliant 🤩 Love it! XT3.
you can never trust a mic! Glad you love the XT3!
I agree & I'm proud owner of Fujifilm X-H2 for my professional photography & film business !
that's amazing! congrats!
I'm confused about the SIRUI 35mm Saturn 1.6x, wouldn't it be closer to a 50mm on a Fuji X sensor? Could you test this please? All the other sensors are Full-Frame. Thanks so much, love your videos btw
i commented back to you.
@@johnstamw Do you recommend that sigma for stills photography? Thanks
Once I bought an x-t2 and now I can't part with Fuji. I would really like to sell everything I have and buy a Red/Nikon, Lumix, Leica, but I definitely can't sell fuji, their lenses, colors, feelings. And I definitely don't need so many cameras. I would like something else, but what fuji has is enough for me. Maybe GFX? It's for love.
I couldn't agree more with you honestly. GFX would be awesome, but I also dream of red and panasonic, and leica sometimes.
What is a cinema camera tho? FX30 is declared as one, but I would argue the X-H2s is a better video camera (as it should be, since it is more expensive as well). As for the cinema features that are missing - most of them are integrated in any half- decent external monitor, and to be honest, for that type of work an external monitor is a MUST. As for the AF, coming from Sony A7IV, I'd say a single point AF is the best option for ANY brand when it comes to paid work, especially weddings. As great as the SONY AF is, and it is great, I'd never let it decide what to focus on in once in a lifetime situations. Now I get that a title like this is catchy, and clickable, but it also helps the spread of misinformation, since sadly.. most of the people hear what they want to hear, while the rest of what you said gets ignored. No camera is perfect, it's all about compromises, and choosing what is right for you, just like you said, but.. all of those reasons that state fuji isn't for you, can be said about any mirrorless camera, of any brand.
Hey Michael! I hope you’re well today. I just finished typing my reply and realize tone is hard to convey so just know I don’t intend to be harsh. Here are a few quick thoughts in response, and thanks for contributing! Regardless of how muddy the lines have become with manufacturers labeling “cinema camera” I believe consumers still acknowledge meaningful differences between “video-oriented cameras” and genuine “cinema cameras” although I acknowledge that these words don’t have rigid definitions. Example: clearly the FX30 is a glorified mirrorless camera when compared to the FX6 counterpart, see also the R5C & C70. And I personally haven’t seen any “half decent monitors” with full size XLR inputs with independent audio controls or that add internal ND filters to a camera body, which are both common features I would expect in a cinema camera. Now, for the back half of your comment about AF and “misinformation” - I agree with you about the AF however, that doesn’t mean everyone agrees and apparently based on my interactions LOTS of people use AF exactly the way you said that you never would, lots of people seriously. If you were daily receiving messages and comments about these topics you would understand the purpose of this video goes far beyond “clickable, catchy, etc.”. And “spread of misinformation” is just a silly expression to use in a discussion about cameras and all 3 of my common reasons (which again come from countless comments+dms) that folks shouldn’t buy Fuji are objective truth.
@@johnstamw was talking about anamorphic de- squeeze, monitoring tools, luts etc. my bad for not being clear enough! As far as XLR, there is a hot shoe attachment if I am not mistaken. I wasn’t trying to undermine you with the misinformation bit, I was mostly trying to state, that most people watching will only remember the title, and not the bit, that you explained how personal a camera choice is. Thanks for the reply, and I hope I didn’t leave you with the wrong impression, since I do love what you do, and you are a part of the reason I recently got an X-H2s.
@@michaeldimitrov1444 no worries Michael, I appreciate you choosing to leave a comment! And I hear where you're coming from, makes sense!
Fuji is on nothing leading except incamera tweakable jpg engine. Perfect for quick personal stuff. I use their 2012 models. 1st generation X Trans sensor. So beautiful.
Bold take, that 1st Gen X-Trans is special.
@@johnstamw Well, you'd find a lot of people coming from the analog side (like me) making that claim. It's probably the next best output behind a role of Portra or Ektar if you pair it with a 70s lense.
Who is Fuji for?
Well me for starters and lots of other people. I do stills not video. And the system is for pros.
The official stills photographer for the movie Oppenheimer used a Fuji X-H2 and has loads and loads of other credits shot on fuji gear.
She did the stills for Dunkirk using an X-Pro2. Plus loads of other movie projects. She isn't alone in the movie industry or elsewhere.
As for auto focus, on holiday in May in the Lake District (UK) my wife did a bunch of zip wires at a local forestry. I waited for her at the end of the last one. I had face / eye tracking on. Used an X-T5 with the Tamron 17-70 f2.8. She was probably doing 40 mph (?) and spinning. The tracking locked on and I got a 85% hit rate using high speed bursts even though her face was turned away for the camera a lot.
I just sold my Sony A7R IV plus lenses. At my age going up mountains and big hills necessitates weight reduction. The Sony is a brilliant camera, I couldn't love using. Got me great images inc. tracking two faces in a live music act in Covent Garden (London, UK).
I'd actually say that unless one needs those video features the starting point for selecting as system needs to be the range of glass. Then the nature of output and cropping if any required for printing. After that the world is your oyster.
Excellent thoughts, couldn’t agree more. but we might be on a different page, as this video is videography-oriented.
almost perfect... it has never disapointed me... autofocus works ower 90 % of the time, auto white balance almost perfect... ibis: good to be ``not perfect``...it looks more natural for film... was olympus owner before ...which has best ibis still ...it looks AI all day... which is not good for creative stuff... me have Fujifilm X-S10 and chose it because of this channel (your channel)...
couldn't agree with you more! thanks for the kind words!
It is relevant. I have had the Fujis for a couple years now. Even though I love them and want to keep them forever, I have learned that it's not ideal for pro work. The construction of the XT3 is too fragile, the autofocus is a problem, no ND, mirrorless prevents me from using wider angles outside of fuji lenses, batteries are bad...The only saving grace is the image quality.
Not sure if this was meant to be a comment reply about the “it is relevant” part or if that was about my video, regardless I agree there are a variety of professional environments where Fuji cams are not adequate to the task currently. For many of us pros, they are more than sufficient but that certainly isn’t everyone’s story!
Yeah, sorry. I meant your video was relevant.
the COLORS on FUJI are the best in my opinion and its easier to get White Balance I found aswell.
I agree
Sensible video! I can understand most of the reasons to not buy the camera. Just as with Blase’s video, I find it quite saddening though that the industry favors big looking camera’s over real world quality differences. It would feel a bit ‘wrong’ to me to support that false idea by purchasing a bigger camera for the sake of it. For example, I have edited both X-H2S and FS7 footage and my smaller Fuji way outperforms the bigger Sony videocamera in terms of colors and clarity. I had a hard time dealing with the skintones and the greens, and the Fuji just looks more attractive and special.
However, I understand I might be lucky to be a solo-shooter who doesn’t have clients dictating which camera I should use (comparable to you, I think). So I might be the ultimate user for the Fuji. Cheers, keep up the good work!
Yup, and there are even high end clients that will book you for you and your set up if they really like your work enough - ESPECIALLY, when it saves them money and they can put the leftovers into marketing. Know plenty of folks shooting commercial and TV work with the XH2s, but it will always have its limitations. The imagery and capability of the camera usually isn’t an issue in the cinematography world; it’s the WORKFLOW. Fuji lacks the Cine-Utility that Cine Cameras have. In my opinion, that’s it, along with a few essential Cine-features like waveforms, shutter angle, etc.
you know, sensible is a great word for it, thank you! I agree, it is frustrating that broadly speaking folks think "big camera, better work". I agree it almost feels wrong to participate in that, yet for many folks that's how they're going to put food on the table. I have multiple anecdotes from my friends alone who decided to buy into cinema lines and sure enough each time, opportunities seem to arise out of nowhere. We solo-shooters are definitely blessed to control our own context so yes, Fuji (likely) forever for me!
@@Eyeofkamau well said for sure my man.
You got me with the mic 🎤 😂😅
😱 never saw it coming
When I saw the xlr wasn’t plugged in 😂
hahaha glad you got a laugh!
This felt like a bit of a "If you're trying to screw in a screw, don't buy a hammer" video. People aren't buying a $2000 Fujifilm camera expecting it to be a cinema camera.
If a camera inspires you to get out and shoot, the fact that the autofocus isn't the gold standard of the industry is far less important. If you're looking for a tool for paid work to get the job done, buy a Canon or Sony.
You know Daniel, I don’t know you, but actually that’s some excellent wisdom and you certainly would hope that’s it’s unnecessary right? Until you’ve seen a hundred people use a hammer on screws and complain that the hammer doesn’t work right, then they reach out to you for advice about how to use this hammer with screws. I’m sure you could imagine that gets a bit tiresome telling folks one at a time that hammers are not made for screws… hence this video:) although you may know that hammers don’t go with screws some folks don’t know that for a whole variety of reasons, alas here we find ourselves. I hope you find that inspiration to get out and make something beautiful today!
warm takes with john needs to be a reoccurring series
with guest appearances?
@@johnstamw say no more
Agreed with most of your points including autofocus. Fuji has great single point autofocus, but continuous zone autofocus is not on par with Sony or Canon. While I agree that Panny and Canon have better IBIS than Fuji, I'd rank Fuji significantly better than Sony.
That's interesting about the IBIS, many of my sony friends and my small experience have been great, but I don't have extensive use so that's cool to hear!
@@johnstamw I just googled it and the latest generation of Sony cameras have drastically improved in IBIS, so I'm not sure my observation is true. Just a couple of years ago, though, Sony cameras had great AF, but IBIS was a joke that might get you 2-3 extra stops at most. Glad to see they are much, much more competitive now!
@@martinreport ohhh yeahhh the ibis used to be suppeerrr wonky haha
I knew there was something suspicious about that mic! 😄
yaaaa you saw it coming haha!
beard goals
grizzly adams is beard goals
I feel like this is directed at me. Nicely done as usual.
hahahahah funny thing is this was recorded well before we even visited🤣 let alone before you decided to sell!
I agree 100%
you're a real one
@@johnstamw thank you for being honest bro. People talk to me about the cons of the camera but like you said, image quality is what I care for most.
Even pro photographer makes mis shoots in the field. No matter the brand and type of camera. Those that say they dont is a lier
shit man, this really helped.
always glad to help folks not waste money or time haha
definitely more of a hobbyist camera with a sprinkle of professionalism.
I understood everything Blaise was saying.Even tho its a great camera its not the industry standard unfortunately in the "film world"...what's not fair is that the person using the Ursa 12k may not even be a good cinematographer as the Fujifilm user.Which is very unfair and because of that you get overlooked...I would say keep pushing and use what you would like to use as a filmmaker.No camera is perfect!..Just like a relationship these days,you have to accept a flaw and deal with it. Hope this helps a fellow Fujian
I hadn't thought of saying it that way, but kinda true! Sadly, yes the expectations of "bigger camera, betterer video" aren't fair, but alas we live in a corrupted world. I'll keep rocking fuji for the forseeable!
+1 to cons: low light performance
yeah that's fair! if you need world's best lowlight fuji's not it. sony's 12,800 as a 2nd native iso is wild.
Someone swings a mic like a old emo fan 😂
oh mannnn, I did love early 2000s punk emo
@@johnstamw same here 😁
Fujifilm hipster afraid that Fujifilm is now mainstream.
noooooooooo say it ain't soooooooooo! this comment truly made me chuckle, so thank you, but fr this fujifilm hipster just gets a lot of messages asking these questions.
The reason you use Fuji is the exact reason I switched and prefer it over my Canon for everything.
The colors are unmatched, the ability to build recipes around film sims also keeps the process fresh and exciting, and in my case (X-T5) the whole user experience is so much more tactile and feels less artificial and digital as the other cameras I've used. Not to mention it stomps every other competitor at that price range when it comes to features.
*also, the constant zoom in and out in this video was subtle but so cool👀
Couldn't agree more with you James. Are you using the XT5 primariliy for video? I would love to hear your experience with that if so. I had fun with that zoom thing haha glad you liked it too
@@johnstamw I got the X-T5 to use as a hybrid for personal projects, so a bit of both tbh. Been taking a lot more photos the past month because I've really busy with work and haven't had the time to really dive into any video projects... But before that I was loving it for video!
I must agree with the general take that the X-T range is a little slower when it comes to dialing in settings, but that to me is what makes the whole process stand out and the shots I get feel so much more rewarding in the end. Fujifilm, and especially the X-T range, truly is the film equivalent of the digital world😅